Jack B Yeats, William Orpen, Roderic O’Connor, William Leech, Paul Henry and Tony O’Malley are among the artists whose works have been “donated” to the State by AIB.  However, only 39 of the 3000 paintings have been handed over by the state-owned bank and only 12 are to be given immediately.  While it is great to get the paintings it is disappointing that the State cannot take control of all the works which are valued between €10 and €40 million.  The 12 paintings will be on view in The Crawford Gallery in Cork from next month.

One of the most iconic and well-known painting will be sold by Sothebys in New York next May.  “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, painted in 1895, is difficult to value because of its rarity but experts expect it to make over $80 million.  It is one of four versions of the painting but the only one to still be in private ownership.  Owned by a Norwegian businessman whose father was a friend of the artist the forthcoming sale is causing a great stir in the Art world.  He hopes to build a new museum, an art gallery and hotel with the proceeds.

Lalique glass panels, art deco marquetry, wood burning stoves!  It can only be the 1920s luxury found on board the Venice-Semplon Orient Express.  It is a step back in time to the wondrous splendour of life on board the famous train.  Each carriage is tastefully decorated to bring to life the 1920s with its lavish interior.  Fine dining, cocktails before dinner, breakfast in bed as you watch the countryside unfold from your bedroom window, the life on board has little to do with some of the poorer areas the train passes through.  One man’s dream, James B Sherwood a rail enthusiast, allowed anyone a chance to step back in time when he purchased 32 carriages at enormous expense and restored them to their former glory.  He had the pieces commissioned by the original makers e.g. glass by Lalique.  There is a strict dress code in place during the day and formal dress for dinner.  Kings, Queens, famous personalities  from all walks of life including the infamous Mata Hari, Isadora Duncan, celebrities trying not to be themselves, celebrities being themselves were frequent travellers on board the original train.  Today you will find a mix of wealthy and once in a life time voyagers but all are in awe of the interior and quality of the restored carriages which are as true to the originals as they could possibly be.  The Orient Express is a true icon of the Art-Deco era and a reminder of a more elegant age of travel.

A painting by Stanley Royle, who painted the famous “Goose Girl” painting hanging in the National Gallery, has been discovered in a house in Churchtown, Dublin.  The painting depicts a young girl guiding her gaggle of geese through a farmyard and is signed and dated for 1923.  The work was part of a private collection and has been given a pre-sale estimate of €14-18000 and will be sold next month as per instructions of the estate of its former owner.

Sothebys had a successful auction on the 8th of February with three Monets selling for well above the guide estimates.  His painting “L’Entrée de Giverny en hiver” selling for £8,217,250 setting a record for a Monet with 4 keen bidders seeking to own it.  In total the auction made £78,893,650.00 for 41 works with global bidding ensuring collectors from all over the world were able to bid for the pieces they desired.  Sculpture by Henry Moore sold well but did not bring the prices paid for his work in Christies auction the previous evening.

New records were seen in Christie’s Impressionist Evening Sale on 7th of February.  All eyes were on the Vincent Van Gogh painting owned by the late Elizabeth Taylor and the painting did not disappoint selling for way above the estimate price of £5-£7 million.  The hammer price was £10,121,250 but the highest price on the evening was for a Henry Moore sculpture entitled “Festival” which made £19,081,250 with a second piece by him making over £5 million.  The list from the sale was impressive with works by Van Gogh, Pissarro, Picasso, Degas, Chagall, Klee, Monet and Cézanne.  It was a veritable Who’s Who of the art world and the sale brought in £97,814,150.  What happened to the recession!!

An Irish silver tankard sold in New York for $31,250 last week.  The record price was 30 times the top estimate but potential dealers and bidders recognised that the hallmarks were for Cork and therefore more valuable.  The tankard is from the Queen Anne/George I period and the maker was Robert Goble who made the mace of the Trade Guilds of Cork City in 1696 and is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  Goble is buried in the Huguenot cemetery in Cork City.  This is a good example where the value of the piece of silver far exceeded what would be paid in scrap value and highlights why one needs to be so careful of selling Irish silver for scrap.

Hopes that Anglo Irish Bank’s art collection might raise vital money for the state have been dashed on discovery that of the 320 pieces that the State took ownership of when it bailed out the disgraced bank only 100 are considered to be of some considerable value.  100 of the paintings are deemed to be worthless in financial terms, another 100 are deemed to be worth between €0 and €500 and the rest worth over the €500 price.  In total the value will be somewhere around the €750,000.00 mark, not enough to make any dent on the debts of the bank.

RTE has launched a search for Ireland’s favourite painting.  This painting must be hanging in a gallery and inspire or move you in some way.  Suggestions will be narrowed down to a manageable level and a documentary based on the shortlisted paintings will air in April.  The public will be asked to vote on the shortlist and the criteria is that you love the painting and that you are able to explain why it inspires you.  So what will it be?  A Jack B Yeats, a John Lavery, a Robert Ballagh, a Markey Robinson, a Declan Walshe, a David Ffrench Le Roy or a Graham Knuttel? Until the results air the art world will wait with natural curiosity but you can get involved by voting for the one that most moves you.

Antique Dealers have come together to urge people not to sell Irish silver, (which has a worldwide reputation for quality), for scrap no matter what price is offered.  People may not be aware of the antique value attached to a certain Irish piece or an Irish silversmith.  If the silver is provincial i.e. coming from limerick, cork, kinsale, galway or any region outside of Dublin then it is really worth more from an antique value rather than scrap value.  A spoon from limerick might make €50 in scrap value but could make up to €2000 in an auction as the provenance attached to it might be where the value lies.  So please check with your local antiques dealer before selling your Irish silver for scrap.